Synopses & Reviews
The Imaginarium Geographica
"What is it?" John asked.
The little man blinked and arched an eyebrow.
"It is the world, my boy," he said. "All the world, in ink and blood, vellum and parchment, leather and hide. It is the world, and it is yours to save or lose."
An unusual murder brings together three strangers, John, Jack, and Charles, on a rainy night in London during the first World War. An eccentric little man called Bert tells them that they are now the caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica an atlas of all the lands that have ever existed in myth and legend, fable and fairy tale. These lands, Bert claims, can be traveled to in his ship the Indigo Dragon, one of only seven vessels that is able to cross the Frontier between worlds into the Archipelago of Dreams.
Pursued by strange and terrifying creatures, the companions flee London aboard the Dragonship. Traveling to the very realm of the imagination itself, they must learn to overcome their fears and trust in one another if they are to defeat the dark forces that threaten the destiny of two worlds. And in the process, they will share a great adventure filled with clues that lead readers to the surprise revelation of the legendary storytellers these men will one day become.
An extraordinary journey of myth, magic, and mystery, Here, There Be Dragons introduces James A. Owen as a formidable new talent.
Review
"This astonishing book is just what a literary pastiche ought to be, and one hopes there are more adventures to be chronicled in this universe." KLIATT
Review
"This ambitious fantasy falls short of the mark....Unfortunately, the muddled mishmash leads to something rather less than the sum of its parts; there's no rhyme or reason to the interconnectivity of the stories." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Is there anyone who wouldn't enjoy reading Here, There Be Dragons? If there is such a person, I haven't met him, and I doubt that I would like him if I did. I am only disappointed that, because this book is so new, I'll have to wait too long to read the sequels." Orson Scott Card, author of Ender's Game
Review
"Here, There Be Dragons begins in a WWI London that is both comfortable and familiar, but quickly moves into a fantastic world of myth and magic. There, talking animals drive steam-powered cars; the Green Knight watches over the remnants of a fallen kingdom; and a legendary mapmaker sits in a tower made of time itself....In James Owen's Archipelago of Dreams, living Dragonships take the heroes and readers into places so filled with wonder that you never want the dreams to end." Kai Meyer, author of The Water Mirror
Synopsis
The Imaginarium Geographica What is it? John asked.
The little man blinked and arched an eyebrow.
It is the world, my boy, he said. All the world, in ink and blood, vellum and parchment, leather and hide. It is the world, and it is yours to save or lose.
An unusual murder brings together three strangers, John, Jack, and Charles, on a rainy night in London during the first World War. An eccentric little man called Bert tells them that they are now the caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica -- an atlas of all the lands that have ever existed in myth and legend, fable and fairy tale. These lands, Bert claims, can be traveled to in his ship the Indigo Dragon, one of only seven vessels that is able to cross the Frontier between worlds into the Archipelago of Dreams.
Pursued by strange and terrifying creatures, the companions flee London aboard the Dragonship. Traveling to the very realm of the imagination itself, they must learn to overcome their fears and trust in one another if they are to defeat the dark forces that threaten the destiny of two worlds. And in the process, they will share a great adventure filled with clues that lead readers to the surprise revelation of the legendary storytellers these men will one day become.
An extraordinary journey of myth, magic, and mystery, Here, There Be Dragons introduces James A. Owen as a formidable new talent.
Synopsis
The Imaginarium Geographica
"What is it?" John asked.
The little man blinked and arched an eyebrow.
"It is the world, my boy," he said. "All the world, in ink and blood, vellum and parchment, leather and hide. It is the world, and it is yours to save or lose."
An unusual murder brings together three strangers, John, Jack, and Charles, on a rainy night in London during the first World War. An eccentric little man called Bert tells them that they are now the caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica -- an atlas of all the lands that have ever existed in myth and legend, fable and fairy tale. These lands, Bert claims, can be traveled to in his ship the Indigo Dragon, one of only seven vessels that is able to cross the Frontier between worlds into the Archipelago of Dreams.
Pursued by strange and terrifying creatures, the companions flee London aboard the Dragonship. Traveling to the very realm of the imagination itself, they must learn to overcome their fears and trust in one another if they are to defeat the dark forces that threaten the destiny of two worlds. And in the process, they will share a great adventure filled with clues that lead readers to the surprise revelation of the legendary storytellers these men will one day become.
An extraordinary journey of myth, magic, and mystery, Here, There Be Dragons introduces James A. Owen as a formidable new talent.
About the Author
James A. Owen is the creator of the critically acclaimed Starchild graphic novel series; the designer and editorial director of the award-winning publications International Studio and Argosy Quarterly; and the author of the Mythworld series of novels. He works at the Coppervale Studio in Silvertown, Arizona, where he lives with his family.
Table of Contents
Contents List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Part One: The Imaginarium Geographica
Chapter One:
The Adventure Begins
Chapter Two:
An Unusual Tale
Chapter Three:
Flight to the Harbor
Chapter Four:
Avalon
Part Two: The Archipelago of Dreams
Chapter Five:
The Corsair
Chapter Six:
The Tick-Tock Parliament
Chapter Seven:
The Forbidden Path
Chapter Eight:
An Invitation to Tea
Part Three: The Children of the Earth
Chapter Nine:
Into the Shadows
Chapter Ten:
Marooned
Chapter Eleven:
The Shipbuilder
Chapter Twelve:
The White Dragon
Part Four: In the Keep of Time
Chapter Thirteen:
The Tower
Chapter Fourteen:
Night Passage
Chapter Fifteen:
The Cartographer of Lost Places
Chapter Sixteen:
Fire and Flight
Part Five: The Island at the Edge of the World
Chapter Seventeen:
Hope and Despair
Chapter Eighteen:
The Final Battle
Chapter Nineteen:
The Circle of Stones
Chapter Twenty:
The Return of the Dragons
Part Six: The Summer Country
Chapter Twenty-one:
The High King
Chapter Twenty-two:
All Their Roads Before Them
Chapter Twenty-three:
Into the Shadowed Lands
Chapter Twenty-four:
The Return to London
Epilogue
Author's Note
Kids Q&A
Read the Kids' Q&A with James A. Owen